Application deadlines:

  • Fall Practicum – July 31
  • Winter Practicum – November 30
  • Summer Practicum – March 31

If you are interested in doing a Practicum, please read through the following documents:

PDF Information and Application Forms:

Student Practicum Application Form

Graduate Practicum Handbook

Practicum Dates

Work Placement Forms:

Placement Safety-Orientation-Checklist

Practicum Internship Agreement Form-AH-HTA


Once you have been accepted to the Practicum program, please follow the instructions below:

All Carleton University students who are participating in unpaid placements that are part of their course requirements must fill out the two forms below.Please note: If you are not a registered student, you are not eligible for insurance coverage.

Step 1: Students must print and complete both forms:

Unpaid Placements – Letter to Placement Employers

Unpaid Placements – Student Declaration of Understanding and Agreement

Step 2: Students must return the signed forms to their departmental coordinator no later than Oct. 15 (fall term), Feb. 15 (winter term) and June 15 (summer term).

Step 3: Students must obtain health and safety training from their placement employer.

Step 4: Questions about these forms, should be directed to students’ departmental coordinator: Kristopher Waddell (Graduate Administrator)

Please report any health and safety concerns related to unpaid work placements to your departmental coordinator and Tony Lackey, Director of Risk and Insurance at Carleton University.


Taking part in Carleton University’s Art History Practicum program offered me a wealth of opportunity in both networking and experience. Not only was my placement at a fantastic institution in Ottawa, but my position had me doing hands-on work in exactly the field I hope to work in in the future. This practicum also gave me the chance to do paid work at the Ottawa Art Gallery outside of the program as well as the potential for a future position, not to mention all of the contacts I have been able to make that will surely come in handy in the future. I cannot exaggerate how helpful, fun and insightful this opportunity has been for me!Rose Ekins, MA Art History

practicum page photo

Carleton University offers students a unique opportunity to work on-site in one of the capital’s major art museums or cultural institutions. Students at third year level or above can enroll in the department’s practicum program for up to two semesters, gaining hands-on experience in museum, gallery, or archival work. Recent institutions to host Carleton students include the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, the National Archives of Canada, the Ottawa Art Gallery, and CUAG (Carleton University’s own on-site gallery).  Students engage in both practical and theoretical work during their placement, submitting a research journal or essay at the end of each semester. Projects undertaken by students have included research for exhibition catalogues, curatorial work, interviews with artists, and the writing of public information texts.